“Our personnel checked these bags and discovered various currencies including Malaysian Ringgit, US dollars, watches and jewellery in 72 bags.

“Exactly how much jewellery, I would not be able to say, because we know that we confiscated bags containing jewellery and the amount of jewellery is rather big,” Reuters quoted him as saying.

Mr Najib’s lawyer has complained that the raids amount to “unwarranted harassment” and that the items seized “would seem of insignificant value”.

Luxury bags versus $4 shoes

Jonathan Head, BBC News, Kuala Lumpur

Image copyrightFacebook/Bata

Image caption
Shoe company Bata was quick so cash in on the prime minister being seen in their $4 sandals

It is customary in much of South East Asia to allow the powerful and wealthy a degree of privacy when facing criminal investigation. No such privilege is being accorded Mr Najib.

The police searches are being streamed live on social media. Pictures of shopping trolleys, piled high with the signature orange boxes for Hermes Birkin handbags favoured by his wife, Rosmah, are going viral. Police officers are leaking details of what they are finding – the bricks of cash, high-priced watches, a who’s-who of designer brand names.

How much any of this evidence of princely living has to do with Mr Najib’s culpability in the 1MDB scandal is not clear. A particularly unkind photo of Mr Najib – in a plain red sweater, slumped asleep on his sofa while the search went on – sent a very clear image of a spectacular downfall, of a once seemingly all-powerful man.

It was surely, then, no accident, that newly-elected Mahathir Mohamad allowed himself to be photographed wearing a pair of $4 sandals.

There was plenty of corruption and mismanagement in Mr Mahathir’s heyday as prime minister in the 1980s and 90s, but he has always led a modest lifestyle.

Much about the last nine days in Malaysia has been unplanned and unscripted. But the wily Mr Mahathir is now writing the script, and very clearly painting his ousted predecessor as the villain.